Internet Erotica and Usenet Newsgroups

Usenet Newsgroups are Still One of the Best Sources of Internet Erotica.

Usenet is a great source of erotic photos, videos and more.

Usenet Erotica is Plentiful, especially in the ABE and ABPE Newsgroups

Usenet remains one of the best sources of erotica on the Internet. This is especially true in the alt.binaries.erotica and alt.binaries.pictures.erotica newsgroups, known as ABE and ABPE for short.

(Don’t worry about the reference to “pictures” as these groups carry all different kinds of media. It refers to pictures as these newsgroups were born almost 30 years ago before larger files such as video were fully supported)

A newsgroup listing can also be handy. In contrast to search, a listing is a web page or document you can download containing all the available newsgroups. You can then use Find > Edit to search on the page for instances of “erotica” or other keywords of interest to see what newsgroups are available.

Top Tip – If a Usenet provider you are considering doesn’t seem to have a newsgroup search function or a full newsgroup listing, ask them as they maybe be able to send you a (nonpublic) URL or document containing them.

Retention periods can also be important. Retention means how long (usually expressed in the number of days) the Usenet provider keeps posts available for download. Retention periods can go as high as 2500+ days. Our recommended Usenet providers all have high retention periods.

Risks of Usenet Erotica

Usenet is one of the safest sources of Internet erotica, but do keep in mind the general risks for Internet erotica we outlined including pirated materials and malware risks.

ISPs Don’t Like Usenet

Although Usenet represents much less of a snooping risk than browsing erotic websites or downloading and sharing erotic torrents, your own ISP can still be a problem. Many ISPs don't like their customers (you) using Usenet because of how quickly you can download huge amounts of data.

Because you can quickly & easily download dozens of gigabytes of downloads from Usenet in no time, some ISPs will “throttle” or “shape” your connection (slow you down) if they detect Usenet use. This is why many Usenet providers now offer a VPN service bundled with their Usenet packages, to keep your Usenet activities hidden from your ISP.

With Usenet you download files directly from your provider’s servers using as many as 50 multiple connections at once. This contrasts with web downloads which use a single connection and in contrast to peer-to-peer torrent file-sharing which use a handful of simultaneous connections.

Hiding Usenet Erotica from your ISP

Furthermore, because you download files directly from your Usenet provider’s servers and, in contrast to torrents, do not “share” the files with anyone, your IP address and downloading activities are not subject to monitoring by any third-party snoops when you use Usenet.

Plus, good Usenet providers, like those we recommend, won’t log your activities.

That leaves only your ISP that you must worry about. But you can hide your Usenet activities even from your own ISP in two ways:

Use encrypted Usenet (SSL) connections. Somewhat like using a VPN, any good Usenet provider will support encrypted connections between your computer or device and your Usenet provider’s servers, called SSL connections. This means your ISP will only be able to “see” an encrypted stream of data between you and the provider. Your ISP will not be able to “see” the contents but will be able to “see” that you are connecting to a Usenet server.

Use a VPN. Using a good VPN service will shield and hide your Usenet activities inside an encrypted tunnel the contents and end point of which will remain hidden from your ISP. Your ISP will be able to “see” how much data you are downloading but not what it is or where it is coming from (a Usenet server). This is why a VPN is a better strategy for avoiding any throttling or shaping than using encrypted SSL connections.

Try Before you Buy

Easynews' newsgroup search couldn't be easier (select to zoom)

If you are curious about Usenet but still not willing to commit to it, why not try a free trial.

Easynews – best for beginners as its Usenet interface is web browser-based and easy to use. Easynews offers a 14-day / 10 GB free trial.

Newshosting – best overall choice as it has the most newsgroups and highest retention periods; plus, its proprietary Usenet newsreader app (the software you need to download from Usenet newsgroups) is easy to setup and use. Newshosting offers a free trial of 14 days or 30 GB (whichever comes first)

In either case, these generous trials offer plenty of time/data to find out if Usenet meets your Internet erotica needs.

Only Scratching the Surface of Usenet’s Potential for Erotica

The materials above just scratch the surface of what you can do with Usenet. In fact, increasingly Usenet is becoming a kind of safer and faster alternative to torrent file-sharing partly because of the privacy advantages it offers.